Assessments

Most current organizational and coaching approaches assess and coach the team as a collection of individuals. In this approach, assessments measure the characteristics, preferences, and performance of individual team members and the results are then compiled into a profile in which individuals can compare themselves to one another.

This is valuable information for team members, but it is only half the picture. The missing half: a picture of the team as a whole.

The output of an organization tells a surface story; but the underlying health of the organization is hidden. Today when organizations ask the question, “How are we doing?” they are looking beyond bottom line numbers. They want to know “where are we strong?” and “where can we get stronger?”

When teams ask the question, “How are we doing?” they often start with a team assessment. It gives the team their own, internal view of their performance.

But there is a second way to answer the question: ask the people who interact with the team on a regular basis. Ask the customers of the team, the stakeholders, the people who are impacted by the team’s everyday performance. This external view from the people whose opinions matter and are most affected is invaluable feedback to the team.